Darkness Over Kanto
by Swordsman4
Summary: AU-Five years ago, Ash Ketchum disappeared after he was attacked by Giovanni. While his departure, the said evil leader has cast his shadow over Kanto. With only Cerulean, Viridian, and Pallet Town remaining as free cities they can't hold off Team Rocket forces forever. Will a certain trainer return to save the day? Pokeshipping and other shippings to be decided later.
1. Mt Silver

I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

The bitter chill would have broken anyone, but not him. No, he deserved the harsh climate of Mt. Silver. The mere moment made him miserable. Five years ago the incident that kept him here happened and it flashed through his mind.

* * *

A younger, much happier Ash Ketchum stood next to his best friend from Cerulean City. Her emerald green eyes sparkled in the light as the two trainers headed towards Viridian City. Then he showed up, the most dangerous man in Kanto. His emotionless black eyes intimidated Ash and Misty. The Persian standing in front of him seemed to reflect his heartless personality. The trainer sent out Pikachu, but watched as his starter was defeated by Persian's Power Gem. Ash was thrown to the side by a large Machamp and the trainer watched as his friend was also attacked.

"Let this be a lesson to you. Do not interfere with Team Rocket's plans." the man warned as he left.

* * *

Ash smirked as another foolish trainer entered his domain. A teen with dark teal hair, black eyes, glasses, a green shirt, and long grey pants. At first Ash, shook his head until he realized who it was.

"Ash, come back. Kanto and the world needs you." the teen said.

Ash shook his head and tilted his cap so it covered his eyes.

"For Arceus' sake, Ash! Misty's fine and well. You need to come home." the teen said.

"I'm the reason Misty got hurt in the first place, I wasn't strong enough to protect her!" Ash hissed in a hoarse voice due to not talking for years.

"You can't live in fear the rest of your life. While you were away Giovanni has taken over the world." the teen said.

"That's not my responsibility!" Ash shouted in a raspy voice.

"You know Misty forgives you. She isn't mad at you, she knows you tried to protect her." the teen said.

"I don't care." Ash mouthed.

"This isn't the Ash I know. This isn't the Ash I traveled with in Hoenn. I'm disgusted at what I'm seeing, and I'm shocked I even looked up to you." the teen muttered as he turned to leave.

Ash smirked, he didn't even have to battle this time. The whistling of the wind echoed through the caves and the cold caused Ash to shiver. He couldn't ever forgive himself if anything happened to his friends, especially Misty. For those reasons alone he remained in the icy cold climate of Mt. Silver. It was a shock that Max could even find him here, only some kid named Jimmy had ever found him after he had changed his name and Ash had no trouble defeating his Typhlosion with Charizard. The constant losing, the friendships, the traveling was no longer appealing to Ash. In a matter of fact, Ash was no longer. Only Red Satoshi remained.

* * *

"Auntie Misty! Auntie Misty! Look what I found!" a girl with blonde hair, green eyes, and a pink dress squealed as she held up a Caterpie.

The gym leader nearly tumbled into the pool at the sight of the bug type. Still to this day those Mew forsaken bugs gave her the creeps.

"Th-that's great." Misty stammered as she shivered. "I think your mother is calling me."

The gym leader walked backwards so she could get away from the worm-like Pokémon. She approached her sister and sighed.

"You're still freaked out by those things?" Daisy questioned.

"They're so creepy!" Misty shouted.

Daisy chuckled as she set a box down.

"How's the married life treating you?" Misty asked.

"Great, Tracey and I are just getting started on the house." Daisy replied.

Misty tried to smile but failed miserably. Only a halfhearted smirk formed on her face.

"You're still upset about not seeing...HIM, aren't you?" Daisy asked.

Misty blushed slightly and looked around to make sure no one else was around before nodding.

"Max is at Mt. Silver trying to convince him to return. Mew knows we need him to help us stop Giovanni's take over of Kanto." Daisy said.

"I know, but there's no guarantee he's even there and I'm older now. I keep hoping he'll return and I can live 'happily ever after' but each time we come up empty. It's starting to get embarrassing." Misty whispered.

Daisy nodded and smiled.

"He'll be back, sis. I know it." Daisy said as she turned and headed towards the kitchen as a timer went off.

"I hope so, I certainly hope so." Misty muttered.

* * *

Max growled as he left the caves of Mt. Silver. He had never been this angry. As he entered the Pokémon Center, he was greeted by his sister.

"Any sign of him?" May asked.

"Yeah." Max replied.

"That's great, we'll tell the others!" May screeched.

"He can stay up there all I care. Whoever that was it sure as Hitmonlee wasn't Ash. I'm afraid he's gone, the Ash we all knew is no more. Only a hollow shell remains." Max said.

* * *

"The final push to take Viridian, Cerulean, and Pallet begins my loyal servants. We are Team Rocket!" a man with a black suit, brown hair, and a Persian shouted.

"Team Rocket shall prevail! Hail Giovanni!" his troops shouted.

* * *

_Author's Note: I've been watching Band of Brothers and this was kinda inspired by it. Basically take one of the side plots from my story Firered and enhance it by one thousand. Giovanni is headed for Kanto's final free cities, Ash has turned his back on his friends partly in fear for their safety, and they need his help in order to stop the Team Rocket military. I hope you enjoy this story. Drop a review, it helps me know how to improve._

_Swordsman4 out!_


	2. Another Light Goes Out

As Max returned to Kanto, he was swarmed by Misty, Brock, and the rest of the gang.

"You can forget about Ash, he's gone." Max said as he adjusted his glasses.

"What do you mean?" Brock asked.

"He's still alive and he's at Mt. Silver but he has changed. Which changed is a major understatement." Max replied.

"Why didn't he return with you?" Misty asked.

"Because, he doesn't care. He wants to live there." Max said.

Misty shook her head and stared at the horizon.

* * *

The icy winds still whipped and battered the mountain. Red stared at the small villages on the horizon. He had won it all, and he was the best there ever was but an emptiness seemed to haunt him. Part of him wanted to see his friends again, but he figured leaving was for the best. They could deal with Team Rocket on their own. How hard could they be to beat?

* * *

Giovanni paced back and forth on the tile floor of his base at the now Team Rocket controlled Indigo Plateau. The mere force of his army should have been enough to take the three towns, but the rebels managed to fight him off. He couldn't understand it.

"Rumor has it Team Plasma's leader is still locked away." Giovanni said.

"Yes, sir. He's still in a Unova prison cell." a grunt replied.

"I believe it's time I pay him a visit, his knowledge on Pokémon control would prove quite useful and the chance to rebuild his empire would be enough to get him to bow to me. Of course, I'd have him disposed of before hand..." Giovanni said with a smirk.

"We'll have a private jet ready." the grunt said.

"No, I think sending someone would prove to be a better idea. Have an executive negotiate a deal with Ghetsis and the International Police." Giovanni ordered.

"Right away, sir." the grunt said.

* * *

Once Misty got back to the gym, she looked out the window as she began to think about her travels through Kanto and Johto. He was such an idiot, but something about him made her happy. The gym leader reached over on her bedroom shelf and opened a small scrapbook. The pictures of the trio traveling brought tears to her eyes. A knock on the door caught her attention, and Misty put the scrapbook back on her shelf.

"Just a second." she said as she scrambled over to the door.

"I was just thinking about ordering a pizza, what would you like?" Daisy asked.

Misty let out a small groan and shook her head.

"I'm not really that hungry." Misty muttered.

"Oh, come on. You've gotta eat something." Daisy said.

"I'm just not hungry." Misty said.

"You're not still sulking over the entire Ash thing, are you?" Daisy asked.

"I don't want to talk, just leave me alone. Don't you have something to do?" Misty asked.

"Anytime you need to talk." Daisy said.

Misty nodded as she laid back down on her bed and turned out the light. She silently wished Ash would return so she could give him a piece of her mind for leaving them all in the dark for all these years.

* * *

"So do we have a deal?" a woman with blonde hair and purple eyes asked.

"Yes, but the International Police won't..." the man with grey hair said before being interrupted.

"Mr. Harmonia you are free to go, you're out on bond." a man said as he unlocked his cell.

"I'll make sure he stays out of trouble." the woman said as they left the facility.

"Let the games begin." Ghetsis said.

The woman nodded as she flipped open a Pokegear.

"All is set, sir." the woman said.

"We'll start with Cerulean City." Giovanni said.

* * *

Misty was woken from her slumber as a loud crash echoed through the air. She peeked out the window and it appeared that several troops were entering the city. As she looked closer and started to wake up, she realized they were Team Rocket grunts. They appeared to be marking buildings with red paint. She winced as she heard a loud crash as if glass broke. Misty opened her door and saw several grunts in the gym.

"Are you Misty Waterflower?" they asked.

"Yes." Misty replied.

"Come with us." one of the men said.

"No." Misty replied.

"I don't think that was a choice. We have enough reason to believe you will cause trouble to the Rocket organization." the grunts said.

Misty slammed her shut and propped a chair against it. Team Rocket was going door to door now, not a good sign. Misty reached for her Pokémon and unlocked her window. The door caught on fire as Misty treied to open the door.

"Darn it!" she cursed as the window wouldn't budge.

She managed to pry the window out and escape. As she ran down the road, she only could think of one person who could bail them out. Regardless of how angry she was at him, she'd have to take a trip to Mt. Silver.

* * *

Misty scrambled for the airport as fast as she could and entered the terminal. Fortunately, the grunts hadn't closed it off yet.

"I need a ticket to Silver Town." Misty said.

The clerk handed the gym leader a ticket after being paid.

"Enjoy your flight." the man said.

Misty nodded as she dashed down the hallway to get on the plane before Team Rocket's forces stopped travel. The gym leader sighed as she managed to get on her flight in time. The hard part was finished, now all she had to do was find Ash.

* * *

_Author's Note: Am I the only person who thinks Team Rocket is like the Nazis? "Hail Giovanni". Really? I could totally see them going door to door. Oh well, a lot of different POVs. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please Review. Go Blue, beat the Irish! And Swordsman4 out! _


	3. Red

Silver Town, it wasn't much different from it was all those years ago. The red-head approached a booth and gulped as a man in Team Rocket apparel stood in it.

"Passport, please." the man said to Misty.

She sighed knowing she didn't have a passport to enter Rocket-occupied territory. The water type gym leader reached for a Pokeball and leaped over the gate. Misty sprinted as fast as she could through the town and was worried as she looked behind her. The Rockets were on motorcycles and were gaining on her. Misty looked forward and hoped she could make it to Mt. Silver before the grunts could catch her.

"Gyarados use Hydro Pump." Misty said as she threw a Pokeball.

The sea serpent fired a massive blast of water that washed the grunts and their motorbikes away. The red-head withdrew Gyarados and ran closer to the mountain. She grabbed onto a rocky ledge and began to climb her way up the mountain in hopes of finding HIM. She began to panic as she eyed two grunts climbing up the mountain as well. As she stood on a large ledge of stone, Misty sent Gyarados back out from its Pokeball.

"Gyarados use Hydro Pump to launch me all the way to the top of the mountain." Misty commanded.

The sea serpent hesitated for a brief second before sending its trainer upward with a blast of water. As Misty rose higher, she tried to grab onto a ledge but missed. She closed her eyes as things started to move in slow motion as she fell through the air.

"It's over." she muttered before a hand grabbed her hand.

A young man with black hair, glowing red eyes, a red baseball cap, red jacket, and blue jeans pulled her up. Misty blushed as she stared into the man's eyes.

"Thanks." Misty said.

The man nodded acknowledging her presence and turned to leave. Misty approached him and tapped his shoulder.

"Is a friend of mine here?" Misty asked.

The man turned to face Misty and shook his head. The man cleared his throat as he tried to speak.

"No one...has...been here...except me." the man mouthed and his hoarse voice echoed through the cave.

"You're lying, my friend Ash said he was leaving. I know he was here." Misty said.

"Your friend is dead, for no one ever survives the chill of Mt. Silver let alone survives the climb to the top. He looked clueless climbing the mountain." the man replied coldly.

Misty fell to her knees as she heard the news. It felt like she was punched in the ribs by a Machamp. Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face. The man turned away from the gym leader and walked away. Misty felt like she just wanted to jump of the mountain to her demise. It would be better than delivering the news and knowing she'd never see Ash again.

"How can you bear it here?" Misty asked.

The man ignored her and huffed as he crossed his arms.

"You owe me answers!" Misty demanded.

"I owe you nothing." the man replied harshly.

The sky started to darken as a blizzard whipped the mountainside. Misty wished she had never traveled to Mt. Silver and sighed.

"How can you be so cold?" Misty asked.

The young man scoffed and shook his head.

"Time..." the young man replied as he stood next to a fire.

Misty's sobs were replaced with rage.

"I blame you for this, you could have helped my friend!" Misty spat.

"Help and company makes one weak." the man scoffed.

Misty turned to leave and sighed.

"You are the coldest person I've ever met." Misty hissed.

The man smirked as if he found it a complement and turned his back on Misty. Misty spotted his grin and growled as she clenched her fists. Misty rushed the taller man and threw a right hook. The man turned to grab her fist and shook his head as he pushed her down.

"Who are you?!" Misty gasped in shock that he was able to stop her attack.

"I...am...Red." the man replied bitterly.

* * *

"Why did you let my friend fall to his death?" Misty questioned.

"He wasn't worthy of being saved." Red answered bluntly.

Misty's anger and sadness started to show as she sobbed and went after Red again. Red chuckled as he pushed her down again and shook his head.

"Pathetic." Red muttered under his breath.

The gym leader glared daggers at Red and huffed.

"How can you just stay here?" Misty asked.

"Easy. I stand like this." Red answered as he stood still.

"No, you just watch my friend plummet to his death and you stand here when Team Rocket's taking Kanto over." Misty growled.

"I explained why I left your pathetic friend to plunge to his demise, and Team Rocket is not worth spending time over." Red said.

"How can your heart be so cruel?" Misty asked.

Red gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Try watching the love of your life get attacked because of you and you couldn't do a single thing to stop it. Try hearing your friends turn on you and call you weak. Try being a miserable failure for most of your life and having to worry about your friends and family being murdered every moment. Come back when you have more than a sob story about your boyfriend." Red hissed.

Misty shook her head again.

"All you can think about is yourself! No wonder why your friends hate you, if you really had any. Feel free to waste your life here at Mt. Silver while the world becomes enslaved by Team Rocket. After all, we can defend Viridian and Pallet alone." Misty scoffed.

"They'll be free in a week." Red said.

"You do nothing, that's pathetic. I know my friend Ash would never have turned his back on us. Max never saw him, he met you, didn't he?" Misty ranted.

The gym leader turned to leave and stormed off.

"Good riddance." Red muttered.

However a few minutes passed, and the words started to sink in and made him reconsider his life. Perhaps Misty and Max was right.

"Wait up!" Red hollered.

* * *

_Author's Note: 41-30 Michigan. I love it! A great sign of things to come perhaps for UofM Football? On with the chapter info. Misty has met the infamous Red Satoshi(Ash). The characters felt a bit OOC, but it was fun to write. What will happen next?_


End file.
